PANAVISION COVERS THE 2014 CAMERIMAGE FILM FESTIVAL

The 22nd edition of the Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography is in the books. The festival, which honors the men and women behind the camera, offered more than 350 screenings and hundreds of workshops, seminars and panel discussions, along with the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world’s most prominent directors of photography. The event took place in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in mid-November.

Panavision, a longtime supporter of the festival, once again had a strong presence, sponsoring two highly anticipated seminars. The company also showcased their new line of Primo 70 lenses, optimized to work with today's larger sensor digital cameras.

It was standing-room only this year at Panavision’s presentations, with crowds numbering at least 400. The first, moderated by Benjamin B, was a panel of cinematographers who discussed recent work and shared their insights about the changing technological landscape, the shifting role of the cinematographer, shooting 2-perf format, and breaking into the business. Titled “Cinematographers Today: Tradition and Innovation,” that panel included Monika Lenczewska, P.J. Dillon, Magdalena Gorka, Chayse Irvin and David Procter.

Benjamin B jump-started the conversation by showing two lenses – a 1957 anamorphic lens and a 2014 Primo 70 lens, an example of the new line introduced by Panavision at the festival.

“I thought that showing these two lenses was a good way of summarizing our theme of tradition and innovation,” said Benjamin. “We can go back to these original tools, and previous techniques like 2-perf, and use them in innovative ways, in combination with the latest technology.”

Panavision’s second presentation was a conversation with 2014 Camerimage Lifetime Achievement honoree Caleb Deschanel, ASC. Images of some of Deschanel’s most memorable films including The Right Stuff, Being There, and The Black Stallion were shown, while Deschanel recalled his thought process, approach to specific scenes, and his personal memories from each project.

Looking back on The Black Stallion, Deschanel said, “Things can be naturalistic but not real. When you’re dealing with any kind of drama, you’re really trying to find what you can get away with, and what emotion you can put into something that then tells the story. Often that is heightened reality. The reality comes from the emotion of the characters in the film and that is what you can amplify.”

Later that night, Panavision’s annual cinematographers’ party was a smashing success, as always. Some DP sightings included Dick Pope, BSC; Matty Libatique, ASC; Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSC; Tony Pierce-Roberts, BSC; and Phedon Papamichael, ASC, to name just a few.

Panavision is proud to support Camerimage, a rare opportunity to shine a spotlight on the talented people behind the lens.

Special thanks to Benjamin Berjery for providing some of the images seen here